Chef Sam learnt the fundamentals of Chinese cuisine by attending the Chinese Cooking Course under China Hakka Famous Chefs and was also trained at the China Development Center of Molecular Gastronomy. In this menu, the play between molecular gastronomy and traditional Chinese cuisine is very apparent, and we were lucky enough to be one of the few who got to try his creation at Saujana.

Deep fried scallop with banana and taro paste was a bit like an East-meet-West dimsim & dessert marriage. Banana gave the dish a soft and sweet texture, while the scallop contributed to the taste of seafood, pretty interesting.

Roasted chicken roll with Korean BBQ sauce had a bit more of a traditional palate with a hint of Korean flavor, I find myself enjoying it quite a bit. The carefully roasted garlic was just an icing on the cake.

double boiled village chicken with fish maw soup

The double boiled village chicken with fish maw soup was the one dish that actually enticed Haze and I to go to this review session. We were spending a lot of time with house renovation and thought a bowl of good soup would do us well, we were not wrong.

According to the good chef, the soup took no shorter than 6 hours to prepare. The fish maw was soft and tender, and the soup positively rejuvenating.

steamed cod fish with Chinese herbs

My favorite dish came next – the steamed cod fish with Chinese herbs. The filet was absolutely fantastic, it was tender, juicy, and just lightly seasoned. I like the presence of wolf berry in the broth, and that foam from the influence of molecular gastronomy.

butter garlic fried-rice with crab meat, roast duck

As with any proper Chinese course dinner, there’s always a dish with carbo, and our version came in the form of butter garlic fried-rice with crab meat. Instead of the traditional dryer and more fluffy type of fried rice, this version takes the cue from Italian risotto and prepared a little wetter. To be honest, I prefer the Chinese fried rice of old, not that this one is bad, it was just.. unfamiliar.

We were also given a plate of roast duck, which was prepared differently from the traditional method. It was tender, juicy, and goes very well with any sort of rice, or just on its own.

Sam’s coffee pudding, bake homemade almond cream bun, KY & Haze

Desserts came in the form of Sam’s coffee pudding and bake homemade almond cream bun. I personally liked the almond cream bun, but almond is a bit of an acquired taste so I think it didn’t find too many fans among the reviewers around the table. The coffee pudding had a better reception for sure, with it’s cute presentation and subtle coffee taste to a sweet ending.

Ti Chen is open from Tuesday to Fridays for lunch (12-2:30pm), dinner (6-10pm) and on Saturdays & Sundays for lunch (9-2:30pm) and dinner (6-10pm).

]]>http://kyspeaks.com/2015/07/27/ky-eats-ti-chen-ala-carte-menu-with-chef-sam-lu-saujana-hotel/feed/14KY eats – Ah Or Pork Noodle, Sunway Mentarihttp://kyspeaks.com/2015/05/10/ky-eats-ah-or-pork-noodle-sunway-mentari/
http://kyspeaks.com/2015/05/10/ky-eats-ah-or-pork-noodle-sunway-mentari/#commentsSun, 10 May 2015 15:52:45 +0000http://kyspeaks.com/?p=28116When it comes to pork noodle, there is a family that dominates PJ/Sunway/Subang area. I was told that the operators of the famous stalls at Kean Fatt SS3, Subang Jaya SS15, and Ah Or at Sunway Mentari are all related.

SS3’s version is basically my go-to pork noodle (due to location) when I have the patient to wait, but I thought, why not try them all out and see if they are really similar. Hence we got ourselves at Ah Or Pork Noodle last weekends.

Ah Or pork noodle, Sunway Mentari

Ah Or is located at Sunway Mentari, the place where it’s easy to spot and harder than hell to get to due to confusing traffic pattern. It also doesn’t help that the location stated on Google map is wrong (as 10/5/15). But with some luck, we got there anyhow.

The restaurant is as basic as you get, with one pork noodle stall, plenty of plastic tables & chairs, and nothing else.

how can you resist this?

The stall itself indeed does look like the one at SS3, with the rather unique label of “Penang Pork Noodle” in Chinese. Well, I’m from Penang and there’s really no such thing as Penang Pork Noodle…

The menu here is slightly wider than Kean Fatt, you get to choose between wet/dry, and a choice of yellow noodle, meehun, kuih teow, loshu fun, and even meesuah.

Haze and I both enjoyed it with the soft boiled egg

We went for our usual – soup version with kuih teow and an extra egg.

Well, it tasted about 90% similar to the one at SS3 which I’m familiar with, with the exception of intestine being much softer, but liver slightly more cooked. The soup is still has that sweet savory taste, and the half boiled egg perfectly done.

The wait time was some 20 minutes, actually not too bad for a Saturday. Would not mind to go again for sure.

I’ve heard about the Nyonya Curry Mee at USJ for quite sometime, and finally we managed to try it last weekends when we found ourselves at USJ for an appointment to check out some invisible grille option for our new home.

Fushou Lou Nyonya Curry Mee, USJ 2

Located at USJ 2 kopitiam just right next to the Shell petrol station across from USJ Summit Mall, the stall is called Fushou Lou Nyona Curry Mee, or literally the “bearded man”. The stall offers Nyonya curry mee, dried curry mee, and seafood curry mee. There’s also the option to add roast pork, curry chicken, and other ingredients into the mix.

]]>http://kyspeaks.com/2015/03/16/ky-eats-fushou-lou-nyonya-curry-mee-usj-2/feed/12KY eats – 2015 CNY Dinner Preview at Ti Chen, Saujanahttp://kyspeaks.com/2015/01/28/ky-eats-2015-cny-dinner-preview-at-ti-chen-saujana/
http://kyspeaks.com/2015/01/28/ky-eats-2015-cny-dinner-preview-at-ti-chen-saujana/#commentsWed, 28 Jan 2015 10:31:15 +0000http://kyspeaks.com/?p=27500It’s that time of the year again, CNY dinner previews is in vogue, so a few days ago I stopped by Ti Chen Chinese Restaurant at Saujana Golf & Country Club to sample what they have to offer for the year of Goat.

Ti Chen is actually under the same management as Saujana KL, situated just a stone’s throw away from the hotel. Parking is quite a hassle free experience, and the restaurant has a nice overview of the lush green lawn and gentle slopes of the golf course, which exudes a very nice ambiance that promotes tranquility out of the hustle and bustle of the city life.

Ti Chen Chinese Restaurant at Saujana Golf & Country Club

For 2015, Ti Chen offers three different set menus priced from RM 1168++, RM 1468++, and RM 1968++ to choose from. You can also add 200++ to each of those menu to add alcoholic beverages to the package (some pretty good House label wine selections).

For the purpose of this media review, we sampled 9 dishes hand picked from the 3 menus.

We started the night with Sea Bird’s Nest Yee Sang with Cheery Sauce (and added some smoked salmon for good measure too).

The Yee Sang here is closer to the traditional type with crispy crackers and colorful ingredients, with the chef’s special cherry sauce separating it from other run-off-the-mill yee sang. It is a little more fruity and interesting, though I still find myself preferring the more modern type of yee sang with fresh fruits and vegetables that is fast gaining popularity.

double boiled free range chicken with ginseng soup

Like all decent Chinese set menu, the second dish is always some type of soup, and I’m again happy to see the departure from the shark’s fins.

The double boiled free range chicken with ginseng soup packs a punch. It was overloaded with sweetness from the chicken and dates with a great balance from herbal ingredients. I really enjoyed this.

homemade roasted sesame pei pa duck & steamed sabah sea garupa

Continuing with another poultry dish was the homemade roasted sesame pei pa duck that I thought went very well with some Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. The red wine compliments the duck rather well. Though I’ve had better pei pa duck, this version could hold its own.

Steamed Sabah sea garoupa with tong kwai soya sauce came next, and this was easily my favorite dish of the night. The fish was steamed just right, preserving the freshness and sweetness from the seafood with the light superior soya sauce and tong kwai subtly giving the dish a little bit of character. I also love the way the way our server expertly carved out 10 different pieces of the fish for everyone. It was delightful.

braised seasonal vegetable with dried oyster, wok fried prawns

Braised seasonal vegetable with dried oyster and duo mushrooms is another pretty common dish in Chinese set menu, and this version is certainly up to the standard. I particularly enjoyed those thick and juicy “abalone mushroom”.

For those who loves shellfish, there’s wok fried prawns with butter sauce. This version is the wetter and non crispy type that is a little messier to consume, but as a bonus it is also a little more flavorful with the butter sauce seeping into the seafood. I also find that the prawns were very fresh as well.

braised crispy noodle with seafood & crab roe, dessert

The stomach stuffer in our session was the braised crispy noodles with seafood and crab roe, a pretty luxurious dish that you could have as a whole meal in itself. The seafood, and especially those crab roe were super sinful and delicious, it was too bad that I was rather full by this time.

Like any other CNY set menu, a sweet ending was provided. For this purpose we were served with chilled dried lime and sea cococnut with aloe vera in longan soup (what a long name) and chilled mochi & Shanghai lotus pancake.

I thought the longan soup was perhaps a little bit too sweet, but the lotus pancake, being one of my all time favorite Chinese desserts, was quite awesome. The mochi was not something I remember though.

KY & Kerol at Ti Chen, Saujana Golf & Country Club

Overall I thought the experience at Ti Chen was pretty positive. Food was right up there with the other big boys and Saujana certainly provides a superior location in terms of ambiance and hassle free parking.

As I recalled, even just five years ago when I had to go to Le Passione Cafe at Hartamas for a cup of decent (and non-starbucks, non-coffeebeans) coffee. But now, we have plenty, and it’s great!

Cosans Coffee at Subang Jaya SS15

One of the many home brewed cafe chains that sprung up in recent years is Cosans Coffee, and my brother’s friend happened to be one of the persons behind it, which is why you’re reading this today.

I met my brother and a few others at the branch of Cosans Coffee at Subang Jaya a few weeks ago. The cafe is situated at a corner lot with tasteful design that took cues from English architecture, and a chilly air conditioning fitting for hot drinks. I remember when I studied at this part of the world over 1.5 decades ago, the most glamorous shops weren’t a quarter as neat as this one.

love the latte, with my brother Win Sern who’s a medical doctor

Cosans apparently take pride in their process of making coffee (you can find out more details in their website), but what I do know is that their latte tastes as good as anywhere I’ve tried. The milk silky smooth, and the coffee positively strong and aromatic. That’s all I ask for in a cup of coffee, and I like their version here.

In addition to latte, they serve a full range of espresso based drinks, including macchiato, espresso, flat white, cappuccino, mocha, and so forth. Prices of these drinks RM 7 to RM 14. Oh, they have affogato too.

sandwiches at Cosans, they pack a punch

Additionally, what sets Cosans apart from many other cafes is the sandwiches and salad they serve. The sandwiches are priced at RM 18-20 but they are absolutely loaded. I tried the blackcurrant smoked duck and would not hesitate to order again, the New Zealand beef steak sandwich too is something to reckon with. Two sandwiches here is probably enough for 3 person with average appetite.

Salad starts from RM 10 to RM 15, and there’s a selection of cakes to go with your caffeine. I haven’t tried these so to be honest, I wouldn’t be able to comment.

So if you’re around Subang looking for a place to chill out and possibly have a meal with some good coffee, Cosans is worth stopping by.

with Transitions lens on a cloudy day, while walking back from LRT station after work

A note to those who may wonder why Transitions lenses, including this pair of Transitions® Signature™ lenses in this picture has a tint when it is cloudy, this is due to the fact that UV light penetrate clouds, and hence activating the lenses. This way I’m still protected against the harmful rays even on a cloudy day.

]]>http://kyspeaks.com/2014/11/16/ky-eats-cosans-coffee-subang-ss15/feed/8KY eats – Mee Goreng at Asia Cafehttp://kyspeaks.com/2014/10/20/ky-eats-mee-goreng-at-asia-cafe/
http://kyspeaks.com/2014/10/20/ky-eats-mee-goreng-at-asia-cafe/#commentsMon, 20 Oct 2014 02:28:20 +0000http://kyspeaks.com/?p=26837Back in 2007 I wrote about one particular mee goreng at Restaurant New Yew Sang that I really liked, but unfortunately the operator passed away just a few months after that due to heart attack. For the next 6+ years, I wasn’t able to find another comparable mee goreng in Klang Valley, the version you find at most mamak restaurants is just not up to standard.

Seeni Mee Goreng at Asia Cafe, Subang Jaya

Not long ago, on one of my many breakfast sessions at Restaurant Okay’s curry mee, one of the regulars whom I share table with everytime I go there, mentioned about mee goreng in Klang Valley and recommended this particular stall at Asia Cafe.

Being a fan of good hawker food, I had to give it a try, and I’m glad I did.

now this is a version of mee goreng I like

The stall is located at SS15’s Asia Cafe with the signboard that says “Seeni Mee Goreng”, “Mee Goreng Master” etc, quite a big dose of self confidence I must say.

Luckily, the mee goreng mamak is indeed very good, with a healthy portion of classic Penang mee goreng ingredients, including the marinated squid, potato, lime, vegetable, and fritters. I also particularly like the spicy and sweet sauce that moist up the whole plate of noodle. If you’re a fan of mee goreng, you will enjoy this.

]]>http://kyspeaks.com/2014/10/20/ky-eats-mee-goreng-at-asia-cafe/feed/24KY eats – Fish and Mooncakes at Di Wei Chinese Cuisine Restaurant, Empire Hotelhttp://kyspeaks.com/2014/09/04/ky-eats-fish-and-mooncakes-at-di-wei-chinese-cuisine-restaurant-empire-hotel/
http://kyspeaks.com/2014/09/04/ky-eats-fish-and-mooncakes-at-di-wei-chinese-cuisine-restaurant-empire-hotel/#commentsThu, 04 Sep 2014 15:05:44 +0000http://kyspeaks.com/?p=26616A couple weeks ago I was invited to Di Wei Chinese Restaurant at Empire Hotel to sample their mooncakes for the upcoming Mid-Autumn festival as well as a few of their new fish dishes.

It was my second time visiting this rather classy non-halal Chinese restaurant, with the first time sampling some alcohol product that was never brought into the country commercially (Yuzu!), hence the lack of prior blog entry.

Di Wei Chinese cuisine restaurant at Empire Hotel, Subang Jaya

The restaurant is accessible from the hotel as well as directly from the top floor of the shopping mall. Like most Chinese restaurants, Di Wei carries a pretty decent selection of dishes, from bbq meat, traditional double boiled soup, dried seafood such as abalone and sea cucumber, live seafood, beef, pork, chicken, duck, beancurd, egg, vegetable dishes as well as fried rice and noodle.

On our review session, we sampled three new fish dishes as well as their mooncakes.

Marble goby is one of the most prized freshwater fish for its smooth texture and layering meat. The usual preparation method usually by steaming, but the chef at Di Wei decided to deep fry the fish and braise with special sauce with addition of pork belly and iced beancurd.

The beancurd, being frozen prior has many air pockets that soaks up the sauce, which makes for an interesting way to enjoy the dish. The fish did not lose it’s original taste with the deep frying process, but gained extra smoothness from pork belly. I love it.

Steamed Seabass in Assam Sauce

Next up was steamed seabass in assam sauce(RM 122++ per 100 gram). It was basically a high class version of asam fish that is quite common in many Chinese restaurants, with seabass doing the major lifting in the quality department. This dish should be consumed quickly if served in the heated bowl, as the heat may otherwise overcook the fish over time.

Pan Fried Giant Grouper with Green Apple Sauce

Pan fried giant grouper with green apple sauce (RM 23++ per 100 gram) is a dish that may not get approval for giant grouper lovers who love to have this fish the traditional way – steamed with superior soya sauce.

I tend to agree, but pan frying the fish gives the skin a new and exciting texture to ponder about, with the addition of apple sauce making it pretty interesting. It is a bold attempt no doubt, but one that hasn’t surpass the traditional cooking method of this prized seafood yet, I’m afraid.

traditional baked mooncakes, RM 18-23 each

So then, lets move to mooncakes.

The traditional mooncakes from Di Wei we sampled are as follow:

pandan lotus single yolk

white lotus single yolk

black sesame single yolk

pure lotus single yolk

red bean

bamboo charcoal single yolk

My favorite being the bamboo charcoal and white lotus single yolk, and my complain is – why not double yolks? or even better, quadruple yolks?

snow skin mooncakes, RM 18-23 each

As for snow skin mooncakes that are best chilled, we had the following:

snow skin white lotus single yolk

snow skin green tea single yolk

snow skin black sesame single yolk

snow skin bamboo charcoal single yolk

I like them all, but my favorites were black sesame and bamboo charcoal versions.

]]>http://kyspeaks.com/2014/09/04/ky-eats-fish-and-mooncakes-at-di-wei-chinese-cuisine-restaurant-empire-hotel/feed/13KY eats – Curry Chicken Pao at New Apollos, USJ 4http://kyspeaks.com/2014/08/19/ky-eats-curry-chicken-pao-at-new-apollos-usj-4/
http://kyspeaks.com/2014/08/19/ky-eats-curry-chicken-pao-at-new-apollos-usj-4/#commentsTue, 19 Aug 2014 14:52:13 +0000http://kyspeaks.com/?p=26530After I posted the review on the Kuih Teow Soup stall at New Apollos kopitiam at USJ 4, one reader, Ley, commented that I should give the curry chicken pao a try, and on the very next visit, I did just that.

the pao stall at New Apollos, USJ 4

According to Ley, the curry chicken pao is the famous version from Klang with handmade bun.

The curry chicken pao was huge, not any smaller than a typical big pao that I’m used to. Interestingly, to prevent the curry chicken from making the bun soggy, an aluminium bowl thingy is embedded within to contain the ingredients. So the way to eat this is not exactly you would with typical pao, instead, a pair of chopsticks is provided and it had the feel of having mantao with some awesome curry chicken, I find myself enjoying it!

So if you want a pao that’s out of the ordinary, this is a place to check out, thanks Ley!

]]>http://kyspeaks.com/2014/08/19/ky-eats-curry-chicken-pao-at-new-apollos-usj-4/feed/20KY eats – Kuih Teow Soup at New Apollos, USJ 4http://kyspeaks.com/2014/07/24/ky-eats-kuih-teow-soup-at-new-apollos-usj-4/
http://kyspeaks.com/2014/07/24/ky-eats-kuih-teow-soup-at-new-apollos-usj-4/#commentsWed, 23 Jul 2014 16:22:12 +0000http://kyspeaks.com/?p=26417As someone who’s born and bred in Penang, we obviously love our hawker dishes, and hence it is always a mission for many of us Penangites to find the local taste right here in KL whenever we can.

New Apollos kopitiam at USJ 4

Now when most think about hawker foods in Penang, curry mee, prawn mee, laksa, and char kuih teow is often high on the list, and if you mention kuih teow th’ng (or kuih teow soup), many don’t even realize how difficult it is to find a place that offers the dish here in KL. Hence when I accidentally ended up at Restaurant New Apollos in USJ 4 and saw this stall, I knew it was something I had to order.

proper Penang style kuih teow th’ng

The operator (not the one in the picture, she was just the helper) speaks Penang Hokkien, which passed the first litmus test whenever I order Penang food.

When the bowl of kuih teow soup arrived, I was already pretty happy. The dish looked the part, with three fishballs, shredded steamed chicken, a few slices of fish cakes, vegetable, fried garlic, and a few bits of lard.

I was well satisfied with the kuih teow soup

As for the taste, this RM 5 bowl of goodness hits all the right spots. It might lack strips of duck blood, but the fish balls and fish cakes had the right texture and tasted rather good. Portion was not overly big like other KL hawker dishes, and the shredded chicken cooked just right as well.

In fact, I liked it so much I rode all the way from Damansara Perdana to USJ 4 just for this yesterday. This kuih teow soup is now on the top of my list so far as Klang Valley is concerned.

Located at Subang Jaya right next to the iconic Subang Parade, the hotel can be access directly via Empire Mall with the two sharing the same parking arrangements. Not having to pay more just because you’re in a hotel instead of the mall is surely a minor bonus.

Seenak Citarasa Malaysia buffet at Empire Hotel

Kitchen Art Brasserie is located at hotel’s level 2, which somehow translate to just a floor above the top floor of Empire Mall.

I like the whole set up, with a glass walls by two sides overseeing the ever busy Federal Highway and tastefully done interior decoration.

ulam, cold seafood, fruits, salad, salted duck egg

The Seenak Citarasa Malaysia buffet dinner is priced at RM 108++ for adults, RM 88++ for children and senior citizens. The buffet is available from 28th June to 29th July, 2014.

Interestingly, diners will also standa a chance to win a Hermes watch worth about RM 12k by taking part in a contest during this ramadan period.

traditional main dishes from different states in Malaysia

The buffet spread at Empire Hotel celebrates each of the 13 states in Malaysia and features more than 60 different main dishes in addition to starters such as ulam, prawns, mussels, salted duck egg, clams, salads, and even cendol and rojak.

There’s also a Ghazal band performing nightly, in line with the whole local theme.

cucur udang, ikan bakar, nangka, and of course – roast lamb

To make things simple, here are the list of 13 traditional flavors from the different states:

Pinky and I absolutely loved the sup gearbox, check out how huge it is

Of the various offerings, I particularly enjoy the sup gear box the most. The serving was huge, with the bone neatly saw off at one end and a straw provided so that you can suck out the marrow, absolutely fantastic!

The roast lamb here, as with the other buffet spread I tried so far, did not disappoint. I also really enjoyed the fish gravey with bunga kantan and of course, ulam with intoxicating sambal.

selection of western desserts and traditional kuih, including tapai

As for desserts, there’s a rather wide selection of local kuih as well as a selection of Western desserts. I picked tapai ubi and was obviously not disappointed. For those who fancy the traditional sweet drinks popular during Ramadan, there’s more than half a dozen colorful cold drinks to choose from, as well as teh tarik, of course.